Embers (Scales 'N' Spells 4)

“I keep seeing videos on paint pours.” Cassie waved at her phone to indicate where. “It’s becoming a thing these days. You tried that yet, Nikki?”

“Uh…no? I’m not sure what that is.”

“When you’re ready to take a break for a minute, I’ll pull up some images and show you. It looks like neat stuff. Paint definitely goes everywhere, though. Have you gone to the big art store over in Munich?”

This was news to Nikki that there was one. “No, only to the one in Sonthofen. Gunter took me there.”

“There’s one in Munich…Boesner, I think is the name?” Cassie tilted her head in thought. “Don’t quote me, I need to Google that. But that’ll be fun to hit if you want serious supplies. We should totally go shopping.”

Cameron snorted. “You always want to go shopping.”

“No lie detected.”

The group started discussing where Nikki could go, and set up the supplies that didn’t mean a hike across the entire castle. The discussion warmed Nikki right down to their demented little heart. They’d never had a group of people sit and actively think of them like this. It was oddly empowering? Like a shot of confidence. Nikki was smiling the entire time they discussed options.

By early afternoon, Nikki’s fingers were sore and their back hurt, but they’d enjoyed listening to the little bits of gossip and strange stories everyone told. They were starting to feel like a part of something much bigger. It seemed only natural for them to suddenly blurt out, “Does anyone else have trouble training their dragon?”

The room went deathly still, and Nikki could feel their cheeks flushing. Maybe they shouldn’t have said that.

Cameron’s loud bark of laughter broke the tension. “Oh my god, yes!”

“Seriously?” Nikki demanded. When they saw Cameron and Alric together, they thought they were always in perfect accord.

“Of course. We’ve been together over a year and I’m still trying to teach him where the dirty clothes hamper is.” Low chuckles and snickering filled the room. “The dragon can remember every name of every mage and dragon in this castle, recall clan disputes from nearly a millennia ago with perfect clarity, but he can’t remember that dirty clothes go in the white basket in the bathroom. At the end of the day, he just starts flinging off clothes, leaving a trail through the apartments like the underwear gnomes are going to follow behind him in the night and pick it all up.”

Carla snorted. “Ah, please. Like you’re not happy to watch your studly dragon strip for you.”

Cameron rolled his eyes. “I did not say that. Alric can perform a striptease for me anytime he wants. My problem is stumbling through the bedroom in the dark and tripping over one of his Saville Row slacks on my way to the bathroom. Then I want to strangle him. With the slacks.”

“What are you having problems with, Nikki?” Cassie asked.

“You mean besides the basics of getting him to remember to eat on his own and that he needs to eat more than red meat at meals?” Nikki grumbled. They glanced at the clock, and it was already two hours after they usually had lunch. Ravi had been kind enough to bring up a light meal for all of the mages so they didn’t have to trek down to the dining hall. Had Gunter remembered to stop his research long enough to eat?

North nodded sagely. “Yep, you’ve got your hands full with that one. Cassie, can you text Ravi—”

“On it!” she called out, her fingers flying on her phone. When she finished, she looked up at Nikki and smiled. “Ravi will go check on Gunter and pull him from the dungeon if he needs to.”

“Thanks,” they said with a sigh. If Gunter hadn’t eaten, then being tortured by Ravi was a very good punishment.

It was such an open atmosphere Nikki felt comfortable complaining. “I don’t actually want to eat lunch with him right now, anyway. He’s being overprotective. And I want to strangle him.”

“Oh yeah?” Cameron’s head canted a little. “About what? I mean, with dragons, it could be any number of things.”

“He doesn’t want me on the scouting missions anymore. Being that close to the Jaeggi unnerves him.”

“Ohhh yeah. That argument. Alric tried that with me.” Cameron shook his head, fond exasperation on his face. “I get it, I do. They’ve waited hundreds of years for us and are facing an enemy that cost them basically everything. Of course they’re afraid to lose us. What they don’t seem to get is we feel just as strongly about protecting them.”

Nikki nodded firmly, happy Cameron got it. “Yes, exactly! If you ran into this problem with Alric, what did you do?”

“Showed up anyway. And didn’t take no for an answer. Remember, Nikki, getting forgiveness is easier than getting permission.”

Nikki thought about that. For a full two seconds. “So I should just show up in the morning and…go.”